Scripture teaches us that God is spirit John 4:24For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. [NLT]. So in essence our God doesn't have flesh and blood. We don’t look like God is our complexion or our body size. The image and likeness of God is a reference to the immaterial part of our being. It is what differentiates us from other animals. And it is what enables us to be able to communicate and commune with God.
Having established that, you’ve probably heard comedians make jokes about how some people are wonderfully made but others are fearfully made. In Psalms 139:14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. [NLT]
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. [NKJV], David praised God for the way he was made inside and out. None of us know what King David looked like so we can’t really judge his looks side by side with that statement.
Yet, that makes it even more important to look at. The mindset that he had is a good example of the same mindset that we ought to have about how we look. About our most loved features and the ones we don’t really like as well. A mindset of praise.
Before I talk about adornment, another thing that is worth our consideration is charm. Charm is delight; it is a quality that stems from knowing that you are beautiful to behold. It is in how you talk, laugh, carry yourself; your kindness, your smile, your warmth, your presence - and none of these are in direct relation to how you look just yet. So even people who are not your specSomeone who has the list of features you'd like your partner to possess.
Someone you find attractive. can have charm. It stems up from the heart. From the place of understanding and praise where king David said he is wonderfully made in all his complexities. And you can have that too.
Adornment and beautification are not ungodly. Jewelry, perfume, fashion, hairstyle, skincare, makeup, etc. Queen Esther, like the other women that appeared before King Xerxes went through 12 months of beauty treatments - 6 months treatment of oil of myrrh and 6 months with perfumes and various cosmetics. 12 months! Before the king even saw them at all.
When you read about the guidelines God gave for how the temple should be built between Exodus chapter 25 and 40, and how detailed God was with it, you’ll understand that taking care of your body - the temple of God, is very important, even to God.
So regardless of what you look like, the color of your skin, your height, your body size, etc., having a mindset of praise is a great place to begin. Instead of feeling bad about your height or the sizes of your body parts, thank God that He Has made you wonderfully inside and out. Carry that mindset, understanding that your charm isn’t directly tied to your looks. And finally, adornment is not ungodly. Learn more about fashion, try different styles as suited to your body type, use jewelry as you see fit, try out perfumes and oils that smell great on you, exercise for fitness and if you want to build muscles or lose weight, put in the work. Just note that in all you do, modesty is key.
Everyone is beautiful; to the degree of the state of their mind and work on themselves. Society's standards of beauty are fickle, so the more of us who begin to think about our bodies from a perspective of praise, who begin to work on ourselves with the understanding that our bodies are the temple of God, who relate with others understanding the wonderful nature of our complexities in God's design; the better we become as a community. While adorning yourself is great, your beauty should not come from outward adornment, it should come from within your heart. Praise be to God who has made you beautiful and handsome in all your complexities!
